Albums
January: 18 albums you need to hear this month
That's the month sorted then
Sleigh Bells 'Jessica Rabbit' (TORN CLEAN/LUCKY NUMBER)
Sleigh Bells’ fourth album comes on like an uncontrollably wild house party where you just know the speakers are going to blow out. Lyricist and singer Alexis Krauss’s powerhouse vocal is even more prominent now, while Derek Miller’s relentless guitar onslaughts on tracks such as ‘Hyper Dark’ and ‘Loyal For’ are particularly sinister. ‘Rule Number One’ is a manic anthem full of headbanging and ‘Treats’-era no-bullshit lyricism, while ‘It’s Just Us Now’, which is built on hip hop beats and ruthless riffs, challenges the notion of what ‘pop’ music can be. Energetic, endearing and still unlike anybody else, Sleigh Bells continue to unapolegtically pummel your senses. Ben Jolley
8/10
